The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference. The wild card teams would play each other with the winner advancing to the playoff round of eight teams.

The season ended with Super Bowl XIII when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys.

Major rule changes

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• To open up the passing game, defenders are permitted to make contact with receivers only to a point of five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Previously, contact was allowed anywhere on the field.
• The offensive team may only make one forward pass during a play from scrimmage, but only if the ball does not cross the line and return behind the line prior to the pass.
• Double touching of a forward pass is legal, but batting a pass toward toward's the opponent's end zone is illegal. Previously, a second offensive player could not legally catch a deflected pass unless a defensive player had touched it. This is usually referred to as the "Mel Renfro Rule". During a play in Super Bowl V, Baltimore Colts receiver Eddie Hinton tipped a pass intended for him. Renfro, the Cowboys defensive back, made a stab at the ball and it was ruled that he tipped it ever so slightly (which he denied) into the arms of Colts tight end John Mackey, who ran for a touchdown. Later, this rule was also the one in question during the Immaculate Reception in 1972. But despite these two incidents, the rule change did not occur until this season.
• The pass blocking rules were extended to permit extended arms and open hands.
• The penalty for intentional grounding is reduced from a loss of down and 15 yards to a loss of down and 10 yards from the previous spot. If the passer commits the foul in his own end zone, the defense scores a safety.
• Hurdling is no longer a foul.
• A seventh official, the Side Judge, is added to the officiating crew to help rule on legalities downfield.

Final standings

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W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

Qualified for playoffs

Tiebreakers

• New England finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on better division record (6-2 to Dolphins' 5-3).
• Buffalo finished ahead of Baltimore in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).
• Oakland, Seattle, and San Diego finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, respectively, in the AFC West based on better record against common opponents (6-2 to Seahawks' 5-3 and Chargers' 4-4).
• Minnesota finished ahead of in the NFC Central Green Bay based on better head-to-head record (1-0-1).
• Detroit finished ahead of Chicago in the NFC Central based on better division record (4-4 to Bears' 3-5).
• Atlanta was the first NFC Wild Card based on better conference record than Philadelphia (8-4 to Eagles' 6-6).
• St. Louis finished ahead of N.Y. Giants in the NFC East based on better division record (3-5 to Giants' 2-6).

Playoffs

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Home team in capitals

AFC

• Wild-Card playoff: Houston 17, MIAMI 9
• Divisional playoffs: Houston 31, NEW ENGLAND 14; PITTSBURGH 33, Denver 10
• AFC Championship: PITTSBURGH 34, Houston 5

NFC

• Wild-Card playoff: ATLANTA 14, Philadelphia 13
• Divisional playoffs: DALLAS 27, Atlanta 20; LOS ANGELES 34, Minnesota 10
• NFC Championship: Dallas 28, LOS ANGELES 0

Super Bowl XIII

Pittsburgh (AFC) 35, Dallas (NFC) 31, at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

References

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• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 193299436X)
• NFL History 1971-1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• 1978 season in details
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0062701746)

1978 in sports | National Football League seasons

Saison NFL 1978